Paul Watkins, cello Acclaimed for his inspirational performances and eloquent musicianship, Paul Watkins enjoys a distinguished career as concerto soloist, chamber musician, and conductor. He performs regularly with the major British orchestras and has made eight concerto appearances at the BBC Proms, most recently in the world premiere of the cello concerto composed for him by his brother Huw Watkins. He has performed with prestigious orchestras worldwide including the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Netherlands Philharmonic, Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Royal Flemish Philharmonic, Melbourne Symphony, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, and the Orchestra Nazionale Sinfonica della RAI Torino. The 2018-19 season opens with the release of his latest disc on Chandos of Gerald Finzi’s Cello Concerto with Sir Andrew Davis and the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and includes returns to the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival. A dedicated chamber musician, he was a member of the Nash Ensemble from 1997 until 2013, when he joined the Emerson String Quartet. Since 2014 he has been artistic director of the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival in Detroit. He also maintains a busy career as a conductor, with recent and future highlights including appearances with the Detroit Symphony, Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Kristiansand Symphony, and Minnesota Orchestra, and has held the positions of music director of the English Chamber Orchestra and principal guest conductor of the Ulster Orchestra. Mr. Watkins plays a cello made by Domenico Montagnana and Matteo Goffriller in Venice c. 1730. .